Police in Hope, Arkansas, believe an arsonist set fire to former President Bill Clinton’s childhood home on Friday. According to Hope Police Department Chief J.R. Wilson, early Friday morning a motorist spotted the fire at the Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site.
The Los Angeles Times reported that, by the time firefighters arrived, flames from one side of the house were rising eight feet high. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette stated that only one interior room was damaged from the fire. Investigators found an accelerant connected to the fire, leading to their suspicion of arson.
Wilson told USA TODAY that firefighters found graffiti on the building; “55” was spray-painted in black on a walkway and a “dead” smiley face, sticking out its tongue, was spray-painted on a door.
Bill Clinton’s home was designated a national historic site in 2011. Clinton lived in the house until he was four years old.